Clint Evans (1949 – 2007) - Pioneer
Clint Evans was an outstanding track, football and basketball athlete at Churchill High School (CHS) where in 1966 he set a provincial track record in the 400-meter event and received the CHS Athlete of the Year award in his 1966/67 senior year. In 2009, Clint was inducted into the CHS Bulldogs Football Hall of Fame as defensive back/wide receiver.
Clint’s passion for rugby was awakened in the spring of 1967 when he and friend Bob Rialland were recruited by Ian Williams (2010 MRHOF Pioneer) to play for the Winnipeg Wasps Rugby Club that regularly practiced on Churchill Drive, not far from their homes. Clint and Bob soon encouraged many of their friends from the CHS community and Riverview area to join.
In the fall of 1967, fellow Wasp teammate Jim Platt (2011 MRHOF Pioneer) pitched to the CHS lads the idea of forming a new rugby team consisting of home-grown Canadian boys. Enthusiastic, Clint and Bob soon organized several meetings with CHS students and alumni and the Assassins Rugby Football Club (ARFC) was born. The first club executive was formed in late fall 1967 with Clint serving as first club president in 1968 and during 1969-71 as team captain.
Clint was instrumental in those early years, recruiting club players, including younger brothers Bart and Dwight (2010 MRHOF Builder), as well as from the Churchill Bulldog and later Manitoba Bison Football programs. By the spring of 1969 the ARFC had registered teams in both divisions of the Manitoba Rugby Football Union and in 1971 Clint led the Assassins to its first Division 1 championship.
Clint was a stellar rugby player, both offensively and defensively, and leading scorer for the Assassins. Beginning in June 1968, he was selected to play with the Provincial rugby team during inter-provincial competitions. At the University of Manitoba, Clint continued to excel in both track and field and football (1967-71). In football, he was voted Western Intercollegiate Association Conference All-Star in 1969. Notably, the Bison football team won the Vanier Cup in both 1969 and 1970, and were subsequently inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Football Hall of Fame.
Clint and his wife, Linda, moved to Prince Edward Island (PEI) in 1974. Clint enjoyed life on the Island and was a dedicated, well respected physical education professional, winning two national awards for the intramural program he developed for his school. He also garnered recognition for his efforts to re-establish and coach Junior football in PEI and for his leadership, both as player and mentor of the PEI Provincial Rugby team.
Clint was also an avid outdoorsman, spending much of his spare time planning and enjoying hiking, cross country skiing, orienteering, cycling and canoe/camping adventures with his friends and, above all, with his family. In addition to rugby, he also enjoyed playing touch football and, with his brother Dwight, planning and partaking in whitewater canoe excursions.
Gone, but not forgotten, Clint was a wonderful, unassuming man, who is lauded for his pioneering efforts in originating and developing the ARFC, as well as for his athleticism and accomplishments as a team leader and player. His impact on the club has been far-reaching. Since its founding in 1967, the ARFC has achieved great success in provincial rugby, fielding several men’s and women’s teams over the years and winning numerous 1st and 2nd division men’s and women’s championships. These successes and indeed the club’s founding owe much to the early pioneering efforts of one Clinton Bruce Evans.
Clint Evans was an outstanding track, football and basketball athlete at Churchill High School (CHS) where in 1966 he set a provincial track record in the 400-meter event and received the CHS Athlete of the Year award in his 1966/67 senior year. In 2009, Clint was inducted into the CHS Bulldogs Football Hall of Fame as defensive back/wide receiver.
Clint’s passion for rugby was awakened in the spring of 1967 when he and friend Bob Rialland were recruited by Ian Williams (2010 MRHOF Pioneer) to play for the Winnipeg Wasps Rugby Club that regularly practiced on Churchill Drive, not far from their homes. Clint and Bob soon encouraged many of their friends from the CHS community and Riverview area to join.
In the fall of 1967, fellow Wasp teammate Jim Platt (2011 MRHOF Pioneer) pitched to the CHS lads the idea of forming a new rugby team consisting of home-grown Canadian boys. Enthusiastic, Clint and Bob soon organized several meetings with CHS students and alumni and the Assassins Rugby Football Club (ARFC) was born. The first club executive was formed in late fall 1967 with Clint serving as first club president in 1968 and during 1969-71 as team captain.
Clint was instrumental in those early years, recruiting club players, including younger brothers Bart and Dwight (2010 MRHOF Builder), as well as from the Churchill Bulldog and later Manitoba Bison Football programs. By the spring of 1969 the ARFC had registered teams in both divisions of the Manitoba Rugby Football Union and in 1971 Clint led the Assassins to its first Division 1 championship.
Clint was a stellar rugby player, both offensively and defensively, and leading scorer for the Assassins. Beginning in June 1968, he was selected to play with the Provincial rugby team during inter-provincial competitions. At the University of Manitoba, Clint continued to excel in both track and field and football (1967-71). In football, he was voted Western Intercollegiate Association Conference All-Star in 1969. Notably, the Bison football team won the Vanier Cup in both 1969 and 1970, and were subsequently inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Football Hall of Fame.
Clint and his wife, Linda, moved to Prince Edward Island (PEI) in 1974. Clint enjoyed life on the Island and was a dedicated, well respected physical education professional, winning two national awards for the intramural program he developed for his school. He also garnered recognition for his efforts to re-establish and coach Junior football in PEI and for his leadership, both as player and mentor of the PEI Provincial Rugby team.
Clint was also an avid outdoorsman, spending much of his spare time planning and enjoying hiking, cross country skiing, orienteering, cycling and canoe/camping adventures with his friends and, above all, with his family. In addition to rugby, he also enjoyed playing touch football and, with his brother Dwight, planning and partaking in whitewater canoe excursions.
Gone, but not forgotten, Clint was a wonderful, unassuming man, who is lauded for his pioneering efforts in originating and developing the ARFC, as well as for his athleticism and accomplishments as a team leader and player. His impact on the club has been far-reaching. Since its founding in 1967, the ARFC has achieved great success in provincial rugby, fielding several men’s and women’s teams over the years and winning numerous 1st and 2nd division men’s and women’s championships. These successes and indeed the club’s founding owe much to the early pioneering efforts of one Clinton Bruce Evans.
Passed 2007